‘How I Met Your Mother’ Spinoff Officially A Go At CBS With Pilot Order

Prepare to say goodbye to How I Met Your Mother and hello to How I Met Your Dad. After a pretty brief, two-week negotiation that underlined the HIMYM franchise’s importance to CBS, the network has closed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV for a pilot order to a spinoff project, which takes a female spin on the original show. How I Met Your Dad, which was pitched on October 30, hails from HIMYM creators/executive producers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and Up All Night creator/exec producer Emily Spivey. Described as a kindred spirit of How I Met Your Mother telling the story from a female point of view, Dad tells a brand-new story with new characters and a new voice at its center. Linking the new group of New York friends and the HIMYM gang will be Ted, Barney, Marshall, Lily and Robin’s favorite hangout, MacLaren’s Pub, which also will be featured on the new show, written and executive produced by Spivey, Bays and Thomas. It is unclear if the characters from the spinoff would be introduced in the HIMYM finale as originally envisioned.

CBS certainly could use more HIMYM — the veteran comedy is the key piece holding together the network’s Monday lineup, which has had a rough fall. HIMYMlaunched its final season with a 3.7 adults 18-49 rating and remains CBS’ highest-rated Monday series and the second-highest-rated overall behind The Big Bang Theory. HIMYM was one of two hit comedy series that has been exploring a spinoff for next season, along with ABC’s Modern Family, also from 20th TV, which is mulling an offshoot built around the character played by guest star Rob Riggle.

Spivey, who is under an overall deal at 20th, is repped by UTA, which also reps Bays and Thomas.

I hate to break it to you, but Hamlet was a remake. That Bill, that hack. Originality is overrated.

OTOH, when a show is already running on fumes, that’s not the time to do a spin-off *at all,* much less when it’s being co-developed by anyone connected to that debacle known as Up All Night.

There’s a term I use for shows like Lucky 7 and How I Met Your Dad that are DOA long before they even have any hope of premiering — pre-cancelled.

karter • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

CB and CT are rare comedic/storytelling talents so I think the universe would be better if they took their talents to a more creative place. HIMYM reached the peak in season 6 and is not finishing as strong as it could be. For better or worse, CBS will probably pick it up and give them some leeway to maintain a solid relationship with CB and CT as they could be the next (better version though) of Chuck Lorre. Ultimately the spinoff is likely to underwhelm and will damage the HIMYM brand.

Noodle • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

In case you didn’t read the article, it plainly states that HIMYM is a key part of CBS’ Monday night line up and is their number 1 show. I think a spinoff could be just as good!

griz • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I personally think they’re doing a great job with the final season — very clever, in my opinion, and a vast improvement over the past couple of seasons. My only concern is that they’ll suddenly announce another season, or, now with this spin-off announcement, try and shove these new characters artificially into the current season and destroy the momentum.

“how i met your mother” should have ended after five or six at the most. CBS is the new NBC — they’re just stretching this shit out well beyond anything that makes sense.

Casey • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Next NBC will order a comedy called Bottoms Up! set in Sam Malone’s old bar from CHEERS.

phil • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I like this idea, even if, it is a joke. I miss Cheers and Sam.

Stacey • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Where *

Jake • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I hate the never ending premise that dictates that the last episode will fulfill the title. It’s frustrating having prolong that. Fool me once, Shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Joe Petitjean • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Why don’t remame CBS to the spinoff network

jrose • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Why aren’t they calling it “How I Met Your Father”? You’d think after flops like Dads and $#*! My Dad Says, the suits would be superstitious enough (“no live action series with ‘Dad’ in the title ever succeeded!”) to allow for properly egalitarian language protocol. And after all, Father Knows Best.

alterkocker • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I think the word “father” implies a respect that modern-day political correctness is not willing to give to men. We can worship “mother” but “dad” is a toss-away, one-syllable term without reverence.

RD • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

How I Met Your Father also mirrors the original title “mother.” You’re trying to extend the brand…

Teddy Westside • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I think it is so that people aren’t under the assumption that it will be told from the Mother’s perspective (in that, the lead actress won’t be Ted’s wife).

Theo • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

If they have a gay version of Barney or the gay couple version of Lily and Marshall then that would be different and interesting. I would watch that show otherwise it’s just going to be the same dreck with different people

CM • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Yeah, because gay characters on tv these days are sooooo original. I’m actually shocked it’s NOT gay related.

F • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Von?

Nero theTVFiddler • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Can lightening strike twice? This cast on HIMYM turned out to be golden – can they do that again with HIMYD? Will I watch the spin off? Yes, but…can CB/CT do it again? That’s the question.

I sure wish someone from the original series (Milioti?) would turn up from time to time in the new series. Regardless, I think the world of Bays/Thomas – and Spivey (that first season of ‘All Night’ was quite good) – I wish them all the best with HIMYD. Will Pam Fryman direct? I sure hope so.

I’m not sure Frasier or Joey is a good comparison, since a character from the original series moved into the spin-off. This one [HIMYD] would be different. Has a show ever been spun-off with just the setting (MacLarens) moving to the new show? I can’t recall any show in the past like this. Maybe Mayberry RFD? Although, Aunt Bee was in both RFD and the original Andy Griffith show.

Maybe that’s a good comparison – Mayberry RFD and HIMYD?

Miffy • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I don’t think it’s quite the same thing. Mayberry RFD was a sequel series that used the same supporting cast from the later years of the Andy Griffith Show (Aunt Bee, Goober, Howard, Emmett) with a new lead (Ken Berry as Sam Jones). This new HIMYD would not have any of the same continuing characters.

If Mayberry RFD had been set in the sheriff’s office, with a new sheriff supported by Mayberry residents we hadn’t see on TAGS, then the comparison would be apt.

Joey B • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Yay, something new to watch after I’m done with Joey and AfterMASH.

Jon • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

GROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN.

Bob the Builder • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

As much as I enjoyed the original, it dragged on WAY too long to reveal the “mother” character.

A spin-off would have to have a significantly different formula to not be seen as merely repetitive or derivative. Maybe they introduce the “dad” character in the first show instead.

Charles • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

It would be nice if the spin-off actually had characters as diverse as New York City as opposed to the current lily-white group [pun intended].

michelle • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Why not have the spin off as the mom we already met? that would be kind of . But i have a feeling the series finale will show we can’t………. I don’t know. We shall see

Sass • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

Aha! So you think the mom dies too!

Dan • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I think they’re really missing the boat by not just focusing the show on how the current mother met Ted.

ragincajun • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

If CBS really wants this to work, they need to cast Lyndsy Fonseca and David Henrie as two of the principal characters. Lyndsy’s character, who is a new arrival to New York, could be there at the invitation of her Uncle Ted while David’c character could be there to assist his sister, i.e “the mother”, with the set up of the band. This is where the two characters can meet and realize that they both live within a couple of blocks of McLaren’s and they set up a date to meet with their friends. CBS could then complete the cast with one or two actresses and two or three actors. The premise of the show as established in the pilot is that one of the guys is the Dad of Lyndsy’s kid, and through the course of the show, we are given clues as to who. If I were the net, I would look to the cast of Greek to round out the supporting cast. I could see actors like Spencer Grammer, Scott Michael Foster, Jake McDorman, Aaron Hill, and Amber Steven absolutely tearing up something like this.

I like this set up because Lyndsy and David are two actors that are familiar to the audience, and this set up would establish their presence in modern day New York, i.e. the “kids” look like their relatives. Also, with three or four actors in contention to be the dad, the female lead doesn’t look like a slut.

Alex • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

If they find the right actress and keep the sex jokes down to a minimum it may be a cute show. Finding someone as cute as Allison Hannigan or a scene stealer like NPH is going to be hard.

don • on Nov 15, 2013 6:30 pm

i love how you say tone down the sex jokes and then name the 2 characters that made most of the sex jokes as the amazing ones